26 November, 2010

Rudra veena

One more plucked sting instruments. Now it is just neck with two pots, which works as resonators.

Some information from Wikipedia:

The rudra veena is a large plucked string instrument used in Hindustani classical music. It is an ancient instrument rarely played today. The rudra veena declined in popularity in part due to the introduction of the surbahar in the early 19th century which allowed sitarists to more easily present the alap sections of slow dhrupad-style ragas.

The rudra veena has a long tubular body with a length ranging between 137 and 157 cm made of wood or bamboo. Two large-sized, round resonators, made of dried and hollowed gourds, are attached under the tube. Twenty-four brass-fitted raised wooden frets are fixed on the tube with the help of wax.

It is one of the three other major types of veena popular today. The others include vichitra veena and Saraswati veena. Out of these the rudra and vichitra veenas are used in the Hindustani classical music of North India, while Tanjour veena (also known as Saraswati veena) is used in the Carnatic music of South India. As Rudra is a name for the Hindu god Shiva, rudra vina literally means "the veena dear to Shiva."

Zia Mohiuddin Dagar was one of the 20th century's foremost exponents of the instrument. He modified and redesigned the rudra veena using bigger gourds, a thicker tube (Dandi), thicker steel playing strings (0.45-0.47 mm) and closed Javari that. This produced a soft and deep sound when plucked without the use of any plectrum (Mizrab).

How it looks:



Example of playing:



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